I've been a photographer for over 30 years now.
Around twelve years ago, I started getting more serious about my work and one of the places I learned to hone my skills more was attending military reenactments. There you have a vast array of subjects and scenes to capture. At the time, the goal of photographing those events were to get the "action" shots. Recently, my view on what I've captured at those events have changed and I started to think and look at them a different way.
Recently, I attended a showing that highlighted the work of Vivian Maier. If you are not familiar with her work, (click on her name to visit her site), she was a photographer that almost went unnoticed by history. That was until her work was discovered after her death. She would walk the streets with her camera, capturing some of the most profound and iconic street photography has ever been produced, but was almost lost to time because she never shared it with anyone.
That visit got me to think about my work from over the years. While it focused primarily on landscape and event photography, I realized that a lot of the work I've done at the reenactments, aside from the "action", contained a large number of impromptu portraits. Historic street photography. At least that's what I'm calling it.
I've compiled a grouping of images that are some of the better works that capture a moment and an individual. Yes, there is the occasional image depicting a firing weapon, but I think it still belongs in this set of images. The work ranges from the colonial era of American history, the Civil War and World War II. All the images are in color, except for a select few in the WWII section. Those images were captured using a vintage Argus film camera and black and white film.
The images in this work were taken between 2007 to 2017. 10 years of images capturing people not taking part in the modern world, rather, people giving up the conveniences of today to portray and tell a story. Our story. From our history. I've gotten to know some of these people over the years and understand their desire to tell the story, from both sides and what they go through to tell it. Wearing a wool outfit on a 90 degree day in the summertime is not a pleasant experience, but they do it to keep history alive.
I present, "The Faces of (Re-enacted) War"
Thanks for visiting.
-Andy
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